Chapter 107: Hwa Cheon Yujeong (3)
Cheon Yujeong.
There was certainly no strong impression of her in my memory.
No—perhaps I should say she left no impression simply because my memories were mostly focused on my time as the Inner Administrator.
By the time she made her appearance in the cult’s history, I had already stepped away from both my family and the cult’s affairs, fully indulging myself in a life of revelry as the Young Master Noble Player.
I vaguely recalled that Cheon Yujeong had been Cheon Yura’s most significant rival.
‘Cheon Yura’s final obstacle. And… the person behind the incident that pushed her rule to complete ruin.’
The Cheon Clan Civil War.
And during that civil war, the one the Cheon Clan elders supported and raised as the new Young Cult Leader was the very woman standing before me—Cheon Yujeong.
‘To think someone like her would suddenly appear in front of me like this.’
In truth, I had never paid much attention to Cheon Yujeong or any of the later generation heirs of the Cheon Clan.
Even in my past life, the civil war had ended with Cheon Yura's victory.
More importantly, it had been the elders, not the heirs, who had spearheaded the conflict.
But the moment I laid eyes on Cheon Yujeong now, I felt an overwhelming wave of regret, enough to make me want to rip out my own hair.
‘Damn it, I should’ve gathered more intel back then.’
Back then and even now, the general assessment of the Cheon Clan's younger generation was that they had noble blood but lacked talent or outstanding skills.
Of course, that was always in comparison to Cheon Yura, which was an extremely unfair benchmark.
‘She fooled everyone.’
The Cheon Yujeong standing before me now had nearly reached the level of Peak Mastery.
‘Either the evaluation was false from the start… or she hid her true abilities thoroughly.’
She was on par with Cheon Yura before I first met her in the Lesser Demon Hall—maybe even stronger.
Whatever the reason this was possible didn’t matter at the moment.
What mattered was that I was certain—this Cheon Yujeong posed a tremendous threat to Cheon Yura.
And it wasn’t just about strength.
If the Cheon Clan elders saw even the slightest glimmer of potential in Cheon Yujeong again, they would not hesitate to plunge the clan into another civil war.
‘That war must never happen again. If the Cheon Clan’s power is diminished too much, then no matter how hard I fight, others will find a gap to exploit.’
The power of the Cheon Clan was vast.
Even with towering figures like Grand Elder Cheon Yeongha, Cheon Jumun, and Cheon Jumyeong, they only represented the tip of the iceberg of the clan’s full strength.
‘If the Cheon Clan’s power was only on par with one or two of the Six Great Demonic Clans, then this power structure would’ve never lasted.’
Had that been the case, someone outside the Cheon Clan would have taken the Cult Leader’s position at least once in the last thousand years.
The Cheon Clan was even considered an exception when calculating the total power of the Heavenly Demon Cult. Even during my time as Inner Administrator, I hadn’t been able to grasp their full strength.
That’s why it was imperative the Cheon Clan remained whole and under Cheon Yura’s control.
“Why aren’t you speaking? Don’t tell me you’re planning to refuse my offer?”
Cheon Yujeong prodded for an answer when I remained silent.
‘I have no choice.’
“I see no reason to accept.”
“And why is that?”
I deliberately put on a haughty expression as I looked down at Cheon Yujeong.
“I am already the man closest to the position of Demonic Faction Lord. Why would someone like me accept a lady’s proposal?”
On the surface, this was the undeniable truth.
But for some reason, Cheon Yujeong smirked slightly at my words.
“Heh, is that so? On the surface, perhaps.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“If the Cult Leader officially recognizes you as her partner, then yes, that might be the case.”
“……!”
She knew?
I was honestly quite shocked.
“Why the surprised face? Did you think I wouldn’t know?”
“To be honest… yes.”
Cheon Yujeong was still smiling.
“I do feel a bit sorry for the Cult Leader, but that’s precisely why this opportunity came to me. The position of Cult Leader isn’t determined by force alone, after all.”
Suddenly, she reached out to touch my cheek.
Swoosh!
I stepped back, rejecting her touch.
Her expression twisted.
“……How dare you.”
“Apologies, but there are only three people allowed to touch my face.”
“Is Cheon Yura one of those three?”
“I won’t answer that.”
I maintained a blank expression as I spoke.
She looked somewhat frustrated but gave up on trying to touch me again.
“Fine then.”
She continued.
“Seems you misunderstood my proposal. I never said I’d give you the position of Demonic Faction Lord.”
“……!”
“What I said was, I would make you the second-in-command of the cult. Not just in name, but in real power.”
Her proposal was, without a doubt, tempting.
“Do you really believe you’ll become the cult’s second-in-command just by attaining the position of Demonic Faction Lord?”
“Of course not.”
“You understand well. That position has been pushed out of the power center—it’s just a pitiful title used to support that woman. While it may benefit your Jin Clan, you yourself would gain nothing in terms of real authority.”
Her words hit the mark.
Although the title of Demonic Faction Lord referred to the Cult Leader’s consort and supposedly the second-in-command, in truth, it was a hollow designation.
‘Even Han Mubaek… never truly wielded power.’
The man who was Demonic Faction Lord in my past life—and Cheon Yura’s partner in that life.
Even he had lived a life not much different from what Cheon Yujeong described—until he eventually betrayed her.
“Following me may be a thorny path. But in return, you’ll grasp something much sweeter and greater.”
Her voice tickled my heart like a serpent’s tongue.
“If you choose me, I’ll ensure your rise. Even your father, the Asura King, will have no choice but to listen to you.”
“Ahem! Ahem!”
T-That’s seriously tempting…
I couldn’t believe how deeply my heart wavered in that moment.
I shook my head quickly to regain my composure.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can accept that offer.”
“Why not? From what I’ve seen of your actions so far, you don’t strike me as someone averse to taking risks.”
“That may be true… but I already have someone in my heart.”
Cheon Yujeong’s expression twisted into something fierce.
“So that’s how you choose to reject me.”
“I didn’t say it with that intention,” I replied.
Although her last words had shaken my resolve just a little, no amount of offers could ever make me accept her proposition.
I had already paid for this life with my previous one in advance. Offers like hers weren’t enough to sway me.
“Fine. I didn’t expect to persuade you in a single attempt anyway.”
Her words carried more weight than they appeared to on the surface.
The fact that she wasn’t changing her approach after the first attempt meant she wasn’t planning to challenge Cheon Yura right away.
In other words, her faction wasn’t yet ready to launch another civil war within the Cheon Clan.
‘So I have a little more time, at least?’
Since it had come to this, I decided to fish for a bit more information.
“The Young Cult Leader’s position is solid. You wouldn’t be able to shake it at this point, would you?”
Cheon Yujeong nodded coolly.
“I’m well aware. I am, after all, a loser who failed to overcome a decisive moment in the past. Overturning that result… it’ll be a long and difficult road.”
Surprisingly, she had a clear grasp of her own standing.
That only made me more anxious.
Unlike in my past life, there might actually be a hidden card capable of flipping this situation.
A cold smile formed at the corner of her lips.
“Public opinion within the Cheon Clan won’t be enough. That’s why I intend to gain the support of other clans among the Six Great Demonic Clans.”
“The Six…?”
“Your performance during the Exchange Ceremony was quite impressive, I’ll admit that. But because of it, you also closed off possibilities in certain places.”
For a moment, my expression froze.
As soon as those words left her mouth, all the recent events clicked together in my mind, forming a single conclusion.
“You’ve got the Illusion Clan backing you.”
Grin.
Cheon Yujeong smiled in satisfaction.
“So you noticed? I suppose I can truly call you the man I’ve marked, then.”
My voice rose without me realizing it.
“Are you trying to spark not just a Cheon Clan civil war, but a full-on cult civil war?!”
“If necessary.”
With that one statement, she made her intentions unmistakably clear.
The Cheon Clan Civil War—an enormous event in my past life.
Now, in this life where everything had already veered completely off course thanks to endless butterfly effects, it seemed an even greater storm was about to erupt.
Clench.
I struggled to stop my hand from instinctively drifting toward my waist.
‘Now. I should kill her now.’
It might be better to kill her here and deal with the aftermath than to allow her to bring about even more chaos down the road.
But—
The time I had to weigh that decision was far too short.
“Eh? You’re done already?!”
From a distance, I sensed the presence of dozens of people approaching, along with unmistakable auras of overwhelming power.
The moment I felt their energy, I knew—my inner conflict had ended.
“True Blood Unit Leader! I commend you for completing the mission, but I cannot tolerate unauthorized actions taken without this lord’s permission!”
“Well, well. Seems something rather major happened here while I wasn’t paying attention.”
It was Pavilion Master Jo Jin-sang of the Thousand-Day Pass, accompanied by a neatly dressed middle-aged man I’d never seen before.
Even if I could overlook Jo Jin-sang, the man beside him was clearly a Peak Mastery-level expert.
Cheon Yujeong’s expression changed immediately, and she bowed her head toward the man.
“I’ve recovered the Phantom Soul Demonic Sword.”
“Oh? Ohhh!”
“I apologize for acting on my own, Elder. I happened to spot the traces of the great traitor Hwan Ryung while tending to a personal matter and had no choice but to pursue him.”
‘Elder of the Tenth Rank?! Then this man must be the White-Faced Demon General—Jang Gil-san!’
A master of a palm technique said to conjure a hundred illusions with a single strike.
He was a Peak Mastery-level expert known for his power, considered nearly on par with the Yin-Yang Fist Demon when it came to offensive capability.
With a feigned smile, Cheon Yujeong whispered to Jang Gil-san.
“If Elder personally returns the sword to the Illusion Clan Leader, I’m sure he would be most pleased.”
Jang Gil-san looked delighted by her suggestion.
“Hm! Ahem! But… would that really be alright? This was ultimately your accomplishment, True Blood Unit Leader…”
“But isn’t the True Blood Unit under your command, Elder? Of course its achievements belong to its commander.”
“Ah, you say that and it lifts quite the burden off my shoulders! Hahaha!”
‘…That tongue of hers is slicker than I expected.’
I stared blankly at Cheon Yujeong’s glib talk.
And seeing her do it with a face so similar to Cheon Yura’s made it all the more surreal.
Jang Gil-san accepted the Phantom Soul Demonic Sword with a pleased smile.
Whatever anger he had over her unauthorized actions had long since vanished.
“To think this mission would be completed so easily. I owe you a great debt, True Blood Unit Leader.”
“Not at all. I’m also pleased to have completed the mission.”
As she said this, Cheon Yujeong glanced my way.
There was something strange in her eyes that made me furrow my brow.
‘What was that just now?’
It felt like… she was implying that I, not Hwan Ryung, was the real target of her mission.
Just then, I heard her voice through a sudden sound transmission.
–My proposal still stands. But keep in mind… as time passes, your value continues to drop.
“……”
I watched her retreating figure, carefully hiding the storm of emotions churning inside me.